Czechs bank final-eight spot

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The Czech Republic's Vladimir Smicer wheels away in delight after scoring the match-winning goal in the closing minutes.Photo:Reuters

The Czech Republic has become the first Euro 2004 quarter-finalist after beating the Netherlands 3-2 in one of most entertaining games in the championship's 44-year history.

The thriller even overshadowed Latvia's amazing performance in holding three-time champion Germany to a 0-0 dr aw in Porto in one of the most stunning results. And Latvia was unlucky not to have been awarded at least one penalty.

The Czechs hit back from 2-0 down in Aveiro with substitute Vladimir Smicer scoring the winner two minutes from the end.

Wilfred Bouma and Ruud van Nistelrooy had put the Dutch ahead inside 19 minutes. Jan Koller quickly pulled one back before Milan Baros made it 2-2 with 19 minutes to go.

In the end-to-end game of high-quality soccer, with both teams playing attacking formations, Edgar Davids hit the post and Pavel Nedved the crossbar, while goalkeepers Edwin van der Sar and Petr Cech made world-class saves.

"For us, it was a fantastic day, a fantastic game to come back from 2-0 and beat Holland," said Juventus star Pavel Nedved, who starred in the fightback.

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"We fulfilled the instructions of the coach. Thank God we scored and came back into the game. Now we have to fully concentrate on Germany."

The result meant that the Czechs became the first team to qualify for the last eight after being the only team with two victories and six points.

The Germans have two points the Dutch and Latvians one each going into the final round of games - Czech Republic versus Germany and the Netherlands versus Latvia on Wednesday.

The Latvians were also celebrating. Playing in its first major championship, 500-1 outsider Latvia celebrated on the field at Boavista's Bessa stadium in Porto, while the Germans walked off in disgrace after the scoreless draw.

The Latvians, who were supposed to be easy fodder for the Germans, Dutch and Czechs in group D, also had a clear penalty turned down in the second half when Maris Verpakovskis was brought down by Frank Baumann, but English referee Mike Riley turned it down.

The result means that Latvia, which knocked out World Cup semi-finalist Turkey in the November playoffs to qualify, has tied with the World Cup runner-up for its first point.

Rudi Voeller's team has only two points from two games and is in danger of going out in the first round for the second European championship in a row.

"We tried to win," Voeller said. "It wasn't for lack of dedication, we did create our chances, but Germany just doesn't score enough goals, not here, not in qualifying."

Meanwhile, Swiss striker Alex Frei joined Totti in the UEFA disciplinary dock for allegedly spitting at an opponent. Totti, who spat at Denmark's Christian Poulsen, is already serving a three-game ban, while Frei has been charged with spitting at England midfielder Steven Gerrard.